Paper-folder.



L. A. NICHOLS. PAPER FOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 10, 1911.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

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L. A. NICHOLS.

PAPER FOLDER.

APPLICATION FILED JULYIO, 1911.

1,015,580. Patented Jan.23, 1912.

w. 2 SHEETS- SHEET 2.

UNITED STATES PATEl- TT- QFFICE LEWIS A. NICHOLS, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PAPER-FOLDER.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that l, LEWIS A. NIcHoLs, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful Improvements in Paper-Folders, of which the following is a specification, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part thereof.

The purpose of this invention is to provide a machine of improved construct1on,

designed for folding paper zig-zag It consists of the features and elements described and shown in the drawingsas indicated in the claims.

In the drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of a machine embodying this invention. F ig, 2 is a top planview of the same with the side members of the frame shown in section. Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view, being a vertical section taken as indicated at line 33 on Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is an end elevation of the creasing rolls and their gearing, being a section taken as indicated at line 44 on Fig. 2. Fig. 5 is an enlarged detail showing a creasing blade in operation. Fig. 6 is a sectional detail view of an adjustable roll bearing. Fig. 7 is a detail of an adjustable bearing for the -tucker shaft.

Briefly, this machine consists of a pair of side frames l, 1, connected together by cross bars, 2, 2, and serving to support and journal a pair of paper-creasing rolls, 3, 3, and, other paper-folding mechanism hereinafter described. At the entering side of-the-rolls,

3, 3, there extends-from the frame a feed table, 4, and at the delivery side there is provided a receiving table, 5, adapted to support the finished product of the machine. For assisting the operator in entering the paper correctly between the rolls, 3, 3, the feed table, 4, is formed with a side guide wall, 4.

The creasing rolls, 3, 3, are similar in construct-ion and operation to those described in my Patent No. 946,393, and comprise a pair of rolls formed with longitudiral grooves, 3 disposed at regular intervals in their respective peripheries, and furnished with alternate creasing blades, 3,, and cushion strips, 3,that is, in each roll the creasing blades, 3?,.alternate' with the cushions, ,3, around the periphery of the roll, there being always an even number of each, for reasons Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed July 10, 1911.

' the machine.

Patented Jan. 23, 1912.

Serial No. 637,659.

more fully explained in my above mentioned patent. The rolls, 3, 3, are provided with shafts, 3 3 and are connected for simultaneous operation by gears, 3 3", fast on their respective shafts, and so arranged that the creasing blades, 3 of one roll will register with the cushions, 3, of the other roll,

' at the line of contact of the two rolls duringtheir rotation. Such rotation is designed to be effected by means of a crank handle, 6*, set in a fly wheel, 6, which is carried at one end of the lower roll shaft, 3 For purposes of adjustment, the rolls are journaled in oblong bearing slots, 1 being supported by bearing blocks, 1", adjustably mounted in the lower slots, and being yieldingly held in contact by means of spring pressed bearing shoes, 1, acting upon the upper shaft, 3. The compression of the springs, 1, is adjustable by means of screws, 1 for regulating the effective pressure between the rolls, to best adapt it to the weight and stifiness of the paper to be operated upon.

It will be seen, that in consequence of the particular arrangement of the creasing blades in the rolls, 3, 3, the paper which is fed through the rolls will be alternately creased in opposite directions, and when folded fiat along these creases, it will form a packetwliose width is determined by the peripheral distance between a creasing blade, 3 and the next succeeding cushion, 3, in

the same roll, and whose length depends upon the width of the strip of paper fed to Such a packet is illustrated in the process of formation at A in Fig. 3, the stock of paper being indicated on the feed table, 4, at, A.

It will be understood, that as the paper is delivered from the rolls, 3, 3, it has only a series ofpartial or preparatory creases formed in it, and that the folding must be finished by other means; for this purpose there are provided two series of tuckers, 7 These 'tuckers consist of flexible arms, tangentially projecting from collars, 7 mounted on two shafts, 7", 7 ,,which are journaled in the side frames, respectively, above and below the plane of delivery of the paper from the creasing rolls, 3, 3. By means of sprocket wheels and endless chains, 8, the shafts, 7}, are caused to rotate simultaneously with the shafts, 3 and they are so timed in relation to the shafts, 3, that each fold of paper delivered from the rolls, 3, 3, is followed up by a tucker, 7, which carries the paper forward and delivers it on edge upon the receiving table, 5, and against a follower board, 9, slidably mounted upon said table. The weight of the follower board, 9, serves to frictionally retain it in position while permitting it to recede gradually 'along the table, 5, as the thickness of the delivered paper at, A grows so as to require more space. To further assist in maintaining the delivered paper at, A in neat and orderly arrangement, the receiv ing table, 5, is provided with a top board, 5, which together with the side walls, 5, and the aforementioned follower board, 9, constitutes the receiving table a box of variable depth, said depth being measured in horizontal direction. It is not deemed necessary or desirable that the top board, 5

shall extend over the entire length of the receiving table, 5, since by the time the paper reaches the limit of the depth of the top board, 5, its creases will have become sufficiently set, so that it no longer requires such complete guidance to preserve it in orderly arrangement on the receiving table.

For retaining each fold of the delivered paper in its vertical position at, A during the interval between its placement and the delivery of the next succeeding fold, there are provided the movable stop devices, 10, which comprise spring metal frames secured at one edge, 10*, to the top and bottom boards, respectively, of the receivingv table, 5, and having each a series of projecting stop fingers, 10', adapted to reach into the space between the top and bottom boards, just behind the last delivered fold of paper. For causing the. stop fingers, 10, to withdraw from the paper, in time to permit the addition of the next fold thereto the tucker shafts, 7 are fitted each with a pair of collars, 7, having a series of projecting studs, 7 while the frames, 10, are each provided with horizontally extending fingers, l0, projecting in the paths of the studs, 7", on the respective collars, 7. As shown, there are provided four tuekers, 7 on each of the collars, 7 and there are likewise provided four studs, 7*, in the collars, 7 the said studs being angularly so disposed in their collars as to contact with the projecting fingers, 10,just in time to remove the stop fingers, 10, from the paper at, A before the delivery of the next succeeding fold of paper thereagainst by the next succeeding tucker, 7. As the studs, 7, rotate out of the range of the fingers, 10, the frames, 10, are permitted to snap back into-normal position in which their sto fingers, 10*, again project into the receiving chamber formed between the top and bottom boards,

5", and 5, respectively. It will be under-.

stood that the above described operation of it firmly against the follower board, 9. To

make the withdrawal of the 'tuckers from the paper as smooth as possible, and to permit their gradual ratherthan sudden return to the straight tangential form, there are provided a series of guards, 11, formed in curves of gradually increasing radius, and mounted one over each of the collars, 7

In addition to the foregoing features of .construction which affect the operation of the machine, there are provided various means by which it is rendered adjustable to accommodate paper of different widths folded to different sizes. The receiving table, 5, and its top board, 5*, are both vertically adjustable upon the frame members, 1, 1, the former being secured'thereto by bolts taking into. vertical slots, 1, while the latter is shown with clamping screws engaging vertical slots, 5, in the side walls, 5", which in turn are adjustably connected with the side frames, 1, by means of lugs, 5, provided with bolts engaging the vertical slots, 1 in the frames; thus the height of the receiving chamber, formed between the table, 5, and its top board, 5 may be varied to accommodate paper folded to various widths. It will. be seen that the presence of this adjustment involves the provision-of vertical adjustment of the tucker shafts, 7 which is arranged for as indicated in Fig. 7, in which one of the bearing blocks, 7, is shown carried between adjust-ing screws, 7 in' the slotted bracket, 1, of the side frame, 1. The stop devices, 10, and the guards, 11, being mounted on the table board, 5, and on the top board, 5", are carried with them to any-desired position. Since the vertical adjustment of the shafts, 7, introduces a change of distance between these shafts and their respectively corresponding shafts, 3, each of the sprocket chains, 8, is furnishedwith an idler sprocket wheel, 12, carried by a pivoted bracket, 1 movable for taking up the greater or less slack of the'chain in its various positions of adjustment.

By reference to Fig. 2, it may be noted that the various collars, 7, by which the of this spacing is to provide for as manyv different widths of paper as possible, with out the necessity of readjustment of" the collars, 7", along the shaft, so as to be symmetrically located in the width of such paper. When the narrowest strips of paper are fed to the machine, they would be entered at such a part of its width that the two sets of tuckers, 7, 7, which are positioned closest together upon the shafts, 7", might operate upon the sheets, while a wider sheet could be so placed as to encounter two or more of the more widely separated sets of tuckers.

To insure that the machine will always be started and operated in the proper direction, there is pivotally hung from the frame member, 1, a dog or sprag, 13, whose free end rests upon the face of the upper one of the gears, 3", and engages its teeth to prevent rotation in reverse direction.

I claim 1. In a paper folding machine, in combination with paper-creasing rolls having cooperating creasing blades and blade-receiving cushions; tuckers mounted above and below the path of the paper as it is fed from the rolls and comprising an upper and a lower shaft, said shafts being geared for rotation in" the same direction as the rolls respectively, and having rigidly secured to them respectively, outwardly-extending tucker fingers, and a receiving board extending transversely to the path of delivery of the paper from the rolls and to the path of rotation of the tucker fingers.

2. In a paper folding machine, in comof delivery of the paper from the rolls and to the paths of rotation of thetucker fingers.

3. In a paper folding machine, in combination with paper creasing rolls, having cooperating creasing blades and blade-receiving cushions, tuckers mounted above andbelow the path of the paper as it is fed from the rolls, and comprising an upper and a lower shaft, said shafts being geared for rotation in the same direction as the rolls, respectively, and having fast on them, respectively, tangentially extending fingers, and a receiving board extending transversely to the path of the delivery of the paper from the rolls and to the paths of rotation of the tucker fingers.

4. In a paper folding machine, in combination with paper creasing rolls, having cooperating creasingblades and blade-receiving cushions, tuckers mounted above and below the path of. the paper as it is fed from the rolls, and comprising an upper and a lower shaft provided with outwardly extending tucker fingers and geared for rotation in the same direction as the rolls, respectively, a receiving board mounted transversely to the path of delivery of the paper from the tuckers, stop fingers mounted for movement substantially parallel to the plane of said receiving board and adapted to be intruded by such parallel movement into such path of delivery of the paper, and means for intermittently withdrawing them from said path.

5. In a paper folding machine, in combination with paper creasing rolls, having cooperating creasing blades and blade-receiving cushions, tuckers mounted above and below the path of the paper as it is fed from the rolls, and comprising an upper and a lower shaft provlded with collars mounted fast thereon, and having tangentially extending tucker fingers, a receiving board mounted transversely to the path of delivery of the paper from the tuckers, stop fingers mounted for movement substantially parallel to the plane of said receiving board, collars mounted fast on the tucker shafts and provided with radially projecting studs, and lugs extending transversely from the stop fingers in the paths of rotation of said studs.

6. In a paper folding machine, in combination With paper creasing rolls, having 00- jecting flexible tucker fingers and geared for rotation in the same direction as the lower rolls, respectively, and a curved guard for the tucker fingers of each shaft, mounted with one end in the path of rotation of said fingers and with the other end outside said path of rotation for causing flexure and gradual release of said fingers.

' 7. In a paper folding machine, in combi nation with paper creasing rolls, having cooperating'creasing blades and blade-receiving cushions, a receiving table for the paper, comprlsln horizontal ui e board parallel'thereto, and a vertical ollower board slidably mounted upon said horizontal support, for movement in the direction of delivery of the paper.

from the rolls, tuckers mounted above and below the path of delivery of the paper fromthe rolls between said rolls and saidfollower board, and comprising rotatably mounted shafts provided with outwardly projecting flexible tucker fingers, and geared for rotation in the same dlrection as the a horizontal support and a I folds of the paper and the tucker shafts,

rolls, respectively, the creasing blades and In testimony whereof I have hereunto set cushions of the rolls being adjustable for my hand at Chicago, Illinois, this 7th day varying the distance between successive of July, 1911..

-- LEWIS A. NICHOLS.

the paper support and the guide beard be- Witnesses: ing vertically adjustable for accommodat- ROBT. N. BURTON, ing different widths of folded paper. EDNA M. MACINTOBH. 

